VESTAL, N.Y. – Both
Carter Baer and
Mikey Squires, the Binghamton wrestling team's two national qualifiers this season, learned who they will wrestle first at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships during the tournament's selection show Wednesday night.
Baer was announced as the No. 13 seed at 174 lbs. His first match in the opening round is against No. 20 Daschle Lamer of Oregon State. Lamer has a record of 19-3 this season and won the Pac-12 championship. He previously wrestled at Cal Poly from 2023-25, where he finished second at the Pac-12 Championships in 2025.
Squires, meanwhile, is ranked No. 23 at 197 lbs. For his first match at nationals, he faces No. 10 Mac Stout of Pittsburgh. Stout was an All-American in 2025 following a seventh-place finish. With a record of 19-4 this season, he has qualified for nationals in each of the last three seasons. Most recently, Stout finished third at the ACC Wrestling Championships.
Both Baer and Squires are making their first appearance at nationals this season after they each finished in second place at the EIWA Championships on March 7, receiving an automatic bid to nationals in the process. Baer enters the tournament with a record of 18-4, having defeated six nationally-ranked opponents so far this season. He has posted a career-high five technical falls to along with two major decisions this year. Additionally, Baer won the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, went undefeated at the Big Red Invitational and was named Wrestler of the Week by the EIWA twice this season (Nov. 12 and Jan. 21).
In his first season at Binghamton after transferring from Princeton, Squires posted a 19-3 record. The Norwich, N.Y., native is tied for the team lead with five major decisions, while also registering two pins and one technical fall. One of his most notable moments came at the Patriot Last Chance Open when Squires defeated No. 3 Stephen Little of Little Rock 6-5 en route to posting a 3-0 record at the tournament. For his performance, Squires was chosen as the Wrestler of the Week by the EIWA on Feb. 24.
This is the second year in a row that Binghamton has had two automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Current Assistant Coach
Brevin Cassella, who won the 174 lb., EIWA title in 2025, and
Cory Day (2nd at 2025 EIWAs at 285 lbs.) both made it to nationals last season. The Bearcats have had at least two of their wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament in each of the last 17 seasons dating back to 2010. In total, Binghamton has had 63 Division I national qualifiers.
The 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place from March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The New York Army National Guard is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Wrestling.
